Repreve recycled polyester, by Unifi, is made from 100% recycled materials. It was launched Repreve in 2007. Unifi now produces 300 million pounds of polyester and nylon fabric annually.
“The world’s leading recycled fiber is made for the good of tomorrow.”
Repreve website
Repreve was initially created to recycle Unifi’s own manufacturing waste. Soon they realized they could have a tremendous impact if they were to use PET bottles. Find out more in Life of a Water Bottle.
They now divert plastic bottles from landfills and oceans to make their yarn. The bottles are sourced from across the globe in partnerships with communities and Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). To date, they have recycled more than 24 billion bottles.
In 2017, Unifi opened its own bottle processing center. This enabled them to process plastic bottles in-house rather than using a third-party facility. It also opened up the opportunity for Unifi to sell recycled plastic for use in other industries.
Repreve is used by brands like Volcom, Polartec, Patagonia, Cotopaxi, prAna, Seea, and Target. The recycled yarn is transformed into products from clothing to automotive upholstery.
What is Repreve Recycled Polyester?
Repreve is a yarn created from recycled plastic bottles. Mills buy the yarn and create fabrics to be used in their products. They may mix Repreve with other yarns, such as spandex, depending on the finished fabric’s requirements.
What’s so Good About Repreve?
Choosing recycled fabrics over those made from virgin materials is a great way to support recycling and the circular economy.
To date, Unifi has recycled more than 24 billion plastic bottles. Unifi even produces a yarn made using bottles sourced from ocean pollution. The bottles are collected within 50K of coastlines in countries that do not have formal recycling systems.
The Repreve Process
The process used to make Repreve Yarn goes like this:
- The first step is to collect plastic bottles. Unifi source recycled waste from across the world.
- This waste is shredded and cleaned. It’s then melted and formed into round pellets or chips.
- These chips are melted and extruded, forced through tiny openings, to create continuous filament fiber.
- This fiber is made into the final yarn by spinning and air-jet texturing.
- Finally, the yarn is purchased by customers to be woven into various fabrics and used to make products.
Certifications
Unifi is determined to make Repreve trustworthy to both commercial customers and individuals. They have many certifications with well-known groups. Plus, they developed their own verification system called U TRUST®. They have the capability to test products at any point in the supply chain to verify they contain Repreve.
Their other industry certifications include:
SCS Certification – the fibers and recycling processes are certified every year for recycled content claims by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS).
Oeko-Tex Certification – REPREVE has the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, which qualifies that the yarns are tested to be free of harmful levels of more than 100 restricted chemicals.
GRS Certification – Through the Global Recycle Standard (GRS), materials are verified to meet the ISO definition of recycled.
How is Repreve Used?
Being able to buy recycled fabrics should not stop us from rethinking fast fashion. We still need to ask ourselves the questions. Do we really need it? Can we buy second hand? Can we rent it or borrow it. If you want more ideas, take a look at our Reduce reuse recycle: Ways to get you thinking article for more tips to help get you thinking about reduction first.
Repreve is used to make clothing, socks, bags, hosiery, yoga wear outerwear, home furnishings, and in the automotive industry such as car seats and steering wheels.
Many brands are taking up the benefits of using recycled yarn. In fact, more than 300 brands use Repreve today; you can find our examples below.
Are There Any Negative Impacts?
Repreve is a synthetic material and, therefore, may leak microplastics. These are tiny particles of plastic released when you wash clothing made from synthetic fabrics like polyester or nylon.
There are some different ways that you can minimize the release of microfibers, such as using a wash bag or filter in your washing machine. Taking care of your clothing is important, too, especially with recycled swimwear fabric.
Where to find Repreve Products?
Here are a few examples of companies using Repreve recycled polyester.
Volcom
Volcom is committed to the environment and responsible sourcing for their clothing, swimming, snowboarding, and skateboarding gear. They have been using Repreve since 2012, that’s more than 10 million plastic bottles recycled.
The Seea
Seea uses Repreve in their recycled swimsuits. Creating stylish, functional swimwear for women.
“Seea is a celebration of waterwomen, and the ocean is our temple.”
